A medical scribe, also known as a medical transcriptionist, can be a rewarding and challenging career. It can be an ideal choice for moms who want the best of both worlds – spending time with their family while contributing to the household income. This is a fast growing field and doctors are continually seeking help with their electronic health records so they can spend more time with their patients.

To start your new career, you won’t have to spend hours in a classroom, and you won’t have to give up your precious time with your family. Online courses allow you to learn at your own pace in your own time. Get up early or stay up later to study your courses; or sneak in some time throughout the day while the kids are napping or at school. Many courses are broken up into short modules so you can study without sacrificing other chores or activities. Some of the modules you’ll study include:

Medical terminology

Medical coding

Pharmacology

Health records

Once you’ve completed all the modules and passed the quizzes, tests, and exams, you’ll receive a certificate that you can proudly hang in your home office. Because of the high demand for medical scribes, it won’t be long before you’ve secured new clients (doctors) and start your new career.

As a scribe, you will be responsible for documenting dictated patient history, social, physical examinations, as well as lab results, procedures, and dictated radiographic impressions.

While some scribes actually accompany doctors on their rounds and document patient information, others work entirely from home. Sophisticated software is used to track every keystroke and sentence so you can be assured of proper payment. Since doctors work 24 hours a day, it is feasible for you to choose the hours that work best for you. Expect to make between $25,000 and $75,000 per year.

Technology and health care are two industries that will continue to grow and they have become co-dependent. That means there is tremendous opportunity for you as a medical scribe to learn, grow, and fast-track to a satisfying and rewarding career.

An online medical scribe training course is your first step to becoming a medical scribe. Whether you choose to work entirely from home, or work on location, you’ll learn a host of valuable skills.

Medical scribes are in high demand, and this trend will only continue. They provide a valuable service to physicians, taking care of the administrative burden so doctors can focus on patient care. There are approximately 20,000 scribes employed in the United States. By 2020, that number is expected to reach 100,000, making a compelling argument to consider medical scribing as a career.

Medical scribes specialize in documenting and organizing information associated with a patient encounter. This presents a rewarding opportunity for anyone interested in the field of medicine, by providing a behind-the-scenes look at the American healthcare system. Scribes earn valuable knowledge and skills that help them pursue an exciting career.

Thanks to federal and insurance regulations, complications associated with the electronic health record (EHR), and the release of ICD-10, physicians are bogged down by administrative tasks. Doctors spend more time charting, documenting, and coding than they do interacting with patients and ensuring the quality delivery of care.

Is a Medical Scribe Right for Your Practice? Medical scribes provide a valuable service to physicians by transcribing notes, entering information into the electronic health record (EHR), and taking the administrative burden out of the average physician workload. Private practices and large hospitals are beginning to realize the value in hiring scribes.